It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish — but Erasmus Hall’s football team didn’t quite finish.
The Dutchmen couldn’t hold on to a late-game lead on Oct. 29, falling to Curtis 44–42 in one of the most hyped Public Schools Athletic League football games of the season.
It’s the first time the Warriors have defeated Erasmus Hall since 1986.
“We don’t take anything [from this game] really except a little bit of humble pie,” said Dutchmen coach Danny Landberg. “We’ll come back and we’ll play the game again. That’s all.”
Erasmus Hall (7–1) squandered a 12-point lead down the stretch as Curtis quarterback Quincy Barnes tied the game on a fourth-and-inches run with just 40 seconds left. The junior quarterback called an audible at the line and pushed the ball into the end zone, refusing to give up against a wall of Dutchmen defenders.
Barnes followed up with the point-after pass to Amad Anderson, giving Curtis (8–0) the victory and stunning Erasmus Hall.
“I think we were just getting a little too cocky, and now it’s time to wake up,” said Erasmus Hall quarterback Aron Cruickshank.
Erasmus Hall struggled to find a rhythm early on — falling into an early 22–6 hole — but the Dutchmen’s offense hit its stride late in the second quarter, sparked by the dominant play of Cruickshank under center.
The junior did a bit of everything — throwing for 73 yards, rushing for another 219 yards, and tallying four touchdowns — as Erasmus Hall clawed back to make it a two-point game after three quarters.
“We just told everybody, ‘Calm down’ and ‘We came here for a reason,’ ” Cruickshank said. “We just wanted to try and get the job done.”
Erasmus Hall took its first lead of the day with 8:35 left in regulation when Dejouree Addison barrelled into the end zone from eight yards out. Miles Ferguson padded the lead just over three minutes later and, it seemed, as if the Dutchmen had seized momentum.
Curtis, however, had different ideas. The Warriors responded on the squad’s ensuing drive when Barnes found Justin Mitchell on a 12-yard, scoring-strike with 4:28 left.
Erasmus Hall tried to answer in kind, but failed to keep the drive alive on the next possession — stalled on fourth-and-three at the Dutchmen 42 yard line. The miscue gave Curtis a short field late in the game, but Landberg stood by his decision.
“We weren’t stopping them, so we just wanted to get the momentum going and get the first down,” he said. “It was three yards and we just wanted to get the first down because they had all three time outs. We wanted to keep the drive going, but it is what it is.”
The Warriors took over on downs and immediately marched into the red zone when Barnes found TySon Lawton for a 21-yard reception after standing in the pocket for several seconds. It was enough to spark Curtis and set Erasmus Hall back on its heels.
“I think we let ourselves down by not having confidence that we were going to get that first down,” Cruickshank said. “I think that’s it, to be honest.”
The silver lining for Erasmus Hall is that the year doesn’t end here. The Dutchmen wrap up the regular season on Nov. 6 at home against Fort Hamilton and, after a loss like this, the squad is chomping at the bit to get back on the field. This time, the team is determined to finish well.
“It’s time to turn on now,” Cruickshank said. “It starts in practice and we’ve got to come ready to work.”
